


with your joy

by stellarisms



Series: 2020 Writing Challenge [12]
Category: A.C.E (Beat Interactive Band)
Genre: Cats, Fluff, Just Add Kittens, Slice of Life, not sure if wowkwan romo or platonic bffies here but. its ok, theyre together and happy and thats really all that matters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-13
Updated: 2020-01-13
Packaged: 2021-02-27 09:40:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 975
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22234972
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stellarisms/pseuds/stellarisms
Summary: Of all the things Sehyoon and Byeongkwan expected to find in the dance studio today, kittens under the sofa was /not/ among them.
Series: 2020 Writing Challenge [12]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1588921
Kudos: 16





	with your joy

**Author's Note:**

> wanted to write something light-hearted after a long, long week.
> 
> tunes to listen to while reading: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VMm-uwHJoTQ

“Byeongkwan, what...are you doing?”

“ _Shhhhhhhh!_ ” Crouched low to the floor beside the lounge room’s largest couch, Byeongkwan cranes his neck to shush Sehyoon. “Don’t scare the baby away.”

The…

The baby **what**?

“What baby?” Sehyoon whispers his question this time, as bewildered as he was before. “W-Where's...what kind of baby are we--?”

The tiniest, faintest _mew_ comes from somewhere close by.

Startled, stunned silence follows.

And then...

“Oh my god,” Sehyoon is ecstatic; now he gets why Byeongkwan looks terrified but thrilled. “Is it real? Is this seriously happening? Wait, how’d it even get in here!?”

“Who knows, who cares? I sure don’t!” Byeongkwan’s voice rises several pitches, until he catches himself and lowers his tone again. “Help me move it, Yoon! But _slowly_. Try not to spook the kitty, if we can help it.”

Sehyoon nods.

“Okay.” With a sturdy grip on one end of the sofa, he waits for Byeongkwan to take hold of the other end. “Countdown from three, or...?”

“Uhhh, maybe five? Gimme. Hang on, lemme get a better stance-- alright, we’re good! Here goes...” Byeongkwan inhales. “Ready? Five...four...three…...two--!”

“One--!”

Once the furniture’s safely moved aside, Sehyoon spots the color of the tiny kitten crouched on the wood laminates first.

No, not one kitten-- **_kittens_ **.

Two gray and black kittens, Sehyoon recognizes straight away, curled into one another like they were fast asleep.

“Babies…!” Byeongkwan gasps, trying between his wriggling fingers and obvious elation to (fail at) keep(ing) his voice down. “Oh my god, Yoon, they’re literal baby kittens! What is this…!?”

Sehyoon wishes he knew.

Sehyoon definitely wishes he didn’t notice - and know, with rising distress - that the smaller cat had a deep (though closed) cut on its curled paw.

“Kwannie. Look. The little one’s hurt.” Sehyoon tiptoes over, stops short of the pair when the bigger kitten lifts its head and stares at him. With suspicion? Sehyoon waits a few seconds more before he plops down cross-legged on the floor, turns ascant, and blinks slowly. One time, three seconds pause - he’s heard that’s best to communicate he means no harm. “It’s okay, you’re safe. See? We’re just gonna sit here awhile ’til you decide we’re Good People.”

Maybe it’s the effect of his soft tenor.

Maybe it’s Byeongkwan understanding him without them having to exchange a single word.

But it takes less than ten seconds for Byeongkwan to join him on the floor - in a similar position and spot - and catch sight of his sidelong smile.

And, not a minute later, Sehyoon’s eyes trained on the clock on the other side of the room drift to the ticklish brush of fur against his wrist.

“Thank you,” Sehyoon says to the bigger kitten - not because he expects a reply but because he’s being polite. The kitten, less so, sniffing at the leftover dried seafood snack in his pocket and pawing at his side. “You want some? For you or for your friend? Okay...hang on, let me--”

He scoots - slowly, _slowly_ \- to dislodge the half-open package.

“I’m gonna unwrap it,” he explains, like talking to a child, “and my friend’s gonna take the other half, okay? So we can split it. You’ll still get some, though, don’t worry.”

The cat meows, louder than ever, when Sehyoon unwraps the shredded squid.

He passes the rest behind him to Byeongkwan, motioning for him to leave it _close, but not too close to the little one._

Byeongkwan inches over to do just that, while Sehyoon sets down a small pile of the snack next to his feet. Watches and waits to see what the kitten will do.

The kitten regards him, briefly, before skulking over to the snack.

He chows _down_ , no hesitation.

“Ah. I hope...that he’s okay to eat that stuff,” Sehyoon - belatedly - begins to worry. “I mean, it’s real squid, I think...so…?”

“Should be? And, I mean, it must be tasty to them for the big guy to sniff it from your pocket...or they both were starving.” Byeongkwan apparently set it closer than Sehyoon had meant for him to, but _whoa, he dug right in, huh._ “That’s probably why they snuck in here, too! Must’ve been tired and hungry.”

Sehyoon’s grumbling stomach relates.

“Hopefully the others’ll be back with food soon,” remarks Sehyoon with a wan grin. “Otherwise, we’re gonna end up fighting with these studio cats for shredded squid bits.”

“No thanks,” Byeongkwan tosses his head back and laughs, earning the smaller cat’s curious glance-over. “The way I’ve been craving this chicken for the last three months...nothing’s gonna distract me or stop me from getting my fix.”

“I believe that.” Sehyoon chuckles, not surprised when Byeongkwan crawls over to flop full-bodied into Sehyoon’s lap. “You’ll have to fight me for it, though.”

"Challenge accepted," Byeongkwan chirps, flashing a grin before tackling Sehyoon to the floor.

* * *

(The cats, unsurprisingly, are so busy enjoying their food that Byeongkwan and Sehyoon's play-wrestling match turned cuddling session doesn't garner attention at all.)

* * *

They’ll need to call the staff, after they all eat lunch, to bring the kittens to the nearest cat café to see if the cats belong to them.

They’ll need to move from the middle of the floor, most likely, in favor of the loveseat now pushed over to the wall.

But - for what it’s worth? 

Sehyoon is pretty comfy where he is at the moment.

He’s comfortable with the solid, fuzzy, purring warmth rubbing up against his calf, a lapful of one humming Kim Byeongkwan scrolling through his phone for nearby cat cafés, and the pure happiness that comes with an everyday unexpected adventure.

He’s glad, these days, that he doesn’t have to hide his smiles like well-kept secrets - that there’s plenty of things to smile about.

* * *

Sehyoon is happy, happier, **happiest** these days, when he’s simply living in the moment.


End file.
